Living Our Dream: Wrong Way Drive to Amazing Scenes

Yesterday we decided to drive to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, just 'down' the road about 65 miles heading east. But, I did not look at the map carefully enough and took Route 89 east out of Kanab instead of taking Route 89A. About 40 miles into our trip I asked Dave to look again at the route I was driving and oops, took the wrong road. Okay, so we kept going, knowing eventually we would get to Page, Arizona and then head around to Vermilion Cliffs. We traveled this 89 route many years ago, I have a really good memory and could not remember the scenery in front of us.

Lone Rock, Glen Canyon Dam, Page, Navajo Bridge, Lees Ferry

Came to Lone Rock viewpoint of Lake Powell and this is within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Oh my goodness! How low the water was. Definitely see where water should have been, but not now. Big bathtub ring of white as far as you could see. Later learned that the lake is down to 45% capacity - amazing 100 feet below where it was recorded at the highest in 1999.

Lone Rock - see RVs along water? That white ring on rock
represents 100 feet drop in water level. Wow.

Lone Rock. Did not realize there were kayakers at base of rock

The 'bathtub ring' is so noticeable

The Wahweap Marina had some really huge houseboats

The ring represents water levels 100 feet lower, start of
Monument Valley of the Navajo Indian Lands in distance

Glen Canyon Dam in distance

Campers on the water's edge, used to be under water

At Lone Rock we saw out in the distance RVs right along the water and you could see from where we were looking that the water used to be up where we had parked the car. Showers, pit toilets, and a marked area where the water level used to be.

NASA's photo - 2001

NASA's photo of same spot 2007

Left there and continued on to the Glen Canyon Dam and stopped at the dam to go to the visitor's center. Just stunning how low the water is. Took some pictures while on top of the dam and continued on our drive around to Vermilion Cliffs. Was going to hike to Horseshoe Bend, lots of people hiking there, but decided to not since a storm was building in the direction we were going.

Standing on bridge - see rafts tied up to bottom left?

Incoming!

Pee break started right after taking this photo, I'm bad

Big toys - one on right had a flat, expensive hobby
Guess if you can't get in the water, drive around it on top!

Continued on to Vermilion Cliffs (finally!) and stopped at the Navajo Bridge to look over. Saw where mud was flowing pretty good in the water below us. Drove 5 miles to Lees Landing of the Vermilion Cliffs area, walked down to the Colorado River (the only place within hundreds of miles where a person can actually wade in the water without climbing up or down steep cliffs). Saw the storm was really getting close, heard thunder and saw lightning, drove over to the Landing.

Stopped to hike to Horseshoe Bend

Lots of people down there, but....

This storm was coming so we said no to the hike

Outfitters were getting their rafts and gear together for the next day's rafting trips, the Park Ranger was there checking off their equipment. A waiting list of 4 years for any private person wanting to raft the Colorado to get the permission from the Park Service is just astounding to me.

Look at the mud sliding down the river

Continued to drive on Route 89A back to Kanab, skirted the storm - thank goodness - and headed up to Jacob Lake of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, circled back down and came back to Kanab by 5:30pm. Way too much driving in one day, a goofed up itinerary but we would never have seen Lake Powell and the scary level of the lake if I had driven on Route 89A from the get go. A goof up ended up amazing! The sad thing - last time visited Vermilion Cliffs was also a very cloudy, dark day. Oh well. C'est la vie.